Exact replica M69 PAF Humbucker surrounds
These are the famous 'Over the Pond' or 'English' rings, much discussed on the two main Les Paul Forums. Vintage Haven are the originators of these rings. All 'OTP' rings come from right here.
Two years in the making, these surrounds are manufactured using moulds taken directly from original 1950's M69's. They are produced in the identical plastic the originals were made from. This material is very hard to source and very difficult to work with. No other after market rings are made from this material. They have that distinctive smell and feel and will age naturally just like the originals.
We spent a great deal of time and effort getting the colour right. We have checked test samples against a dozen genuine rings. The conceived correct colour is probably far paler than the majority of 50 year old M69's actually look today. When viewing photographs of original 'Bursts and Gold Tops the plastic parts bleach out and look much paler. We have made direct comparisons in-hand with real M69's and consulted with several Vintage dealers and collectors whose opinion I greatly respect. No two pairs of 50 year old genuine M69 rings are exactly the same colour today. The definitive correct colour is impossible to determine. We decided to go with two mixes, one a 'Bone' and one a slightly more 'Cream' version.
Either of these colours gives a very authentic look and we believe they are both very close to the colour the originals were when new.
A third version is available which we call 'Vintage' these are very slightly pink/tan. Much criticism has been made of the 'false limb' colour that some of the Gibson Historic reissue rings have. Despite the Historic rings being so disliked they are actually quite close in colour to some original M69s. It is the texture and translucency of the plastic that looks wrong. Several 'Burst owners and Dealers have indicated our 'Vintage' colour as being their preference.
At the end of the day its your guitar and your choice.
Each pair are hand finished and aged to your requirements - no two pairs of our rings are exactly the same either! These will only be available in small quantities.
The colour and material is the best currently out there. That's not just us saying it, that is the people who trade vintage all day long.
REPLICA M69 RINGS: £190 per pair
AVAILABLE IN: BONE, CREAM or VINTAGE
NOS - Light aged - Medium aged
Click here to order through our Contact Us page, and simply fill out the form.
A bespoke matching service is available for owners requiring a replacement pair or single for an original guitar. Please contact us for details.
Please indicate if your order is for a Gold top or a Sunburst (we usually add red aniline bleed to the bottom edge of the front ring on a sunburst set).
Replica 1959 Long studs
A highly accurate clone of the 1959 nickel plated steel stop-tail studs.
Available aged and non-aged.
£30 (Non-aged)
£36 (Aged)
Replica thumb wheels and posts
Highly accurate clone of the nickel plated ABR-1 thumb wheels and posts.
Perfect as replacements for your original Les Paul model, or for dressing up your prized Custom Shop Historic. These are great replacements for archtop wooden based bridges too.
Available aged and non-aged.
£24 (Non-aged)
£28 (Aged)
Replica Vintage Kluson Deluxe tuner tips
These tulip buttons are the most accurate replacements I have seen to date. Uncle Lou premium tips are getting harder to find and although regarded as the best replacement tips available up until recently they do not match the accuracy of these in colour, material and shape. Check the profile of the base ring in the comparison photographs. The uncle Lou's have always been too bulbous in my opinion. The colour is the correct pale shade and has just the right amount of translucency - a perfect replication of original tip colour and material. Not swirly but slightly cloudy just like the originals. They have the correct mold marks and come slightly aged.
These are straight forward to fit. Remove existing buttons by gently heating the metal shaft with contact from a clean soldering iron until the old buttons pull off. If you are replacing genuine late fifties buttons then they will probably just crumble off with some gentle persuasion. Once the old buttons have been removed and the shafts cleaned of any residue, heat the shaft with a small blow torch ( pencil torches excellent for this and very cheap to buy on eBay). When the shaft is hot the new button will push on. Just be careful not to overheat the shafts, and if you need to adjust the distance between the tips and the tuner casing repeat the process by holding the soldering iron to the shaft until it comes lose again, and repeat the process.
Available in SINGLE RING late fifties version and DOUBLE RING early sixties version. These are only currently available from Vintage Haven and are very limited stock.
Buy them now before they are all gone.
£58 for a set of 6 buttons. UK 1st class postage and packing £1.95.
Please indicate single or double ring version when ordering.
